Friday, January 26, 2007

Up Next, Pigs to Fly: The Green Miles & Charles Krauthammer Agree on Something

Thanks to both of the people who donated to Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment using the SixDegrees.org charity badge on the right side of my blog! I'm thrilled to have been proven wrong on that one. It only takes a few minutes, and a $20 donation will get you a Friends of ACE membership, or you can make contributions as small as $10. Please donate now!

* What's this world coming to that Charles Krauthammer and I agree on anything? Today's column, "
Energy Nonsense," is right on the money in saying that President Bush's energy plan is about pleasing constituencies, not sound policy. I'd disagree with him on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and it's farm corporations and Midwestern politicians who are pushing corn-based ethanol, not environmentalists. But we do need hard measures like higher gas taxes to lower fuel consumption, and we need to talk about nuclear power. Lowell agrees over at Raising Kaine, and adds a push for green buildings.

* New blogger Jonathan Krall points out the
comedy of errors that passes for transportation planning along the I66 corridor.

* Politicians have always been happy to pose for pictures by the Chesapeake Bay and pledge their commitment to clean it up, but they've usually been reluctant to take the tough stands against business, development, and farming interests needed to make a real difference. As a result, the Washington Post reports, "A Revitalized Chesapeake May Be Decades Away."

* Interesting article on green construction in E/The Environmental Magazine.

* I appreciate his strong advocacy on environmental issues, but I absolutely do not get former Green Party County Board candidate Josh Ruebner's recent
letter to the editor in the Sun Gazette. He equates Arlington's Metro-centered smart growth with suburban sprawl. Exactly where does Josh think new development should go? Should we put up a fence along the Beltway and refuse to let any new people in? A former Arlington resident named Lisa Nisenson wrote a nice rebuttal.

* After the recent the demise of
Backfence, What's Up Eric recommends checking out outside.in.

UPDATE (1/29/07): More reactions to Josh Ruebner's letter, including a thoughtful response from an Arlington resident and a nutty rant from a Manassas resident.

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